Originally Posted by scottishcelts

True. We have been trying to make xmas our own, doing the same things we done back home, just doesn't seem 'xmassy' in the heat! Lots of people have said xmas does get better the longer you are here.

Originally Posted by soapy©

Congratulations on your 2 yrs!!!
We usually do the usual christmassy thing here and as you say never felt like Christmas. Last year though we spent the day at the beach with great friends, good food, relaxed and had a fabulous time.
Felt like Christmas!


Paulinex

Originally Posted by scottishcelts

.

I still have the odd feelings some days that I should go home and wonder what the hell I am doing here. It doesn't last long though.

Originally Posted by iamthecreaturefromuranus

...and don't forget that you won't be here forever 'cos Hubby promised. Honest he did.

Originally Posted by scottishcelts

Well here we are, 2 years to the day since we landed at Brissie Airport. Never been to Australia beforehand, just applied for the visas, sold up and left on a big massive plane!

To say I felt shell shocked for the first couple of weeks is an understatement and I sorta walked around in a bizarre daze. Lots of shopping passed the time quickly though as we had to start from scratch. BigW was our best friend.

I have to say, the first year here I hated it, was bored, lonely and terribly homesick (hence the huge BE post count in my first year) and at one point, was set to go home. I really struggled, but managed to sort myself out and decided to stop being daft and live my life.

I still have the odd feelings some days that I should go home and wonder what the hell I am doing here. It doesn't last long though.

We have been thoroughly impressed with the school the boys are in, the staff and kids are very welcoming and can't do enough for you. The Mater children's hospital in Brisbane too has been fabulous. My son has hydrocephalus and the plane pressure tampered with his shunt (which shouldn't have happened according to all the specialists we spoke to), he got ill basically as soon as we hit base, so a trip to the hospital bound we were. Turns out one of the ward nurses was from the same town as me, so really helped make him feel comfortable. We even got to speak to doctors in the middle of the night (outa their beds they were dragged) to our request. I only have the best of words to say about the hospital and education system so far.

There are still things I don't like about Australia, but they don't bother me any more. I like it here now.Though I am still adamant I want to move to Europe when my eldest finishes high school (he is only yr 6 just now) so still lots of time left to explore Oz.

Have the inlaws arriving in a fortnight, then the day after they leave, have my mum , her bf and my sis arriving for 5 weeks.

Roll on xmas.

ps - don't get me started on how crap xmas is here!

Originally Posted by ozzieeagle

Great to hear SC... hope everything goes along slightly more easy in the future.

One thing to watch out for... that 10 years back to Europe. You should be OK, as 10 years isnt that long. If you stayed here for 20 years you could slowly change and your views could become Australianised, at that point living in Europe could well annoy you. Doesnt happen to everyone, but it does happen

I think it's happened to me... I fully intended to live or have a holiday place back in the NH... I dont think I could in all honesty now though. It's just too easy to be very comfortable here. I reckon a great example of what I'm on about lies in our Health Care. It may cost a little bit.. but how often do you really have to queue ?

Originally Posted by scottishcelts

True, that is what scares me about here, I have no intention of staying here longer than the next 6 hrs. My hubby can make a lot of money here and for that would stay on, but for me it's not about making lots of dosh.

Originally Posted by scottishcelts

True, that is what scares me about here, I have no intention of staying here longer than the next 6 hrs. My hubby can make a lot of money here and for that would stay on, but for me it's not about making lots of dosh.

Originally Posted by paulry

But think about the credit card extravaganzas!

Originally Posted by stuckinblighty

2 yrs .......... congrats

Totally agree with you on the xmas thingy......shite here

Best wishes

Lee